Waterfall Line
- Artist: Richard Long CBE
- Date: 2000
- Medium: River mud on emulsion
- Dimensions: 4540 x 145500 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Waterfall Line” by Richard Long. It was created in 2000 as a site‑specific wall painting for the opening of a modern art space. Long painted a long black rectangle on the wall, then slung white river mud across it. He scrubbed and wiped the mud with gloved hands, letting it spread and splatter down the wall. The result is a series of vertical, swirling stripes that look like an enlarged brushstroke, reminiscent of Chinese calligraphy or the chaotic spray of a waterfall. The upper narrow strip of white mud is the “water” itself, and as it falls it breaks into tiny droplets at the base, echoing the mist at a real waterfall’s plunge. Long’s vigorous gestures bring out the physical energy of the work, making the wall feel alive with motion. Though it was commissioned for a specific venue, the painting speaks to universal themes of water, movement, and the immediacy of the artist’s hand.
See it in person
Waterfall Line is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
